Magny, Matthews, Kelly all score comeback victories

Welterweight contender Neil Magny continued to impress in the UFC Fight Night co-main event at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, bouncing back from a rough start to dominate and stop Hector Lombard in the third round.

Lombard made no secret of his intentions to end the fight early, and he nearly did it in the opening seconds with a right hand that put Magny in trouble. Magny was able to weather the initial storm, but Lombard kept the pressure on as the Coloradan tried to get off his back and get his legs under him once more. With 1:40 left, Magny got back to his feet and began to fire punches back at Lombard before failing at a takedown attempt, but by the end of the round, it was Magny throwing and landing, impressively rebounding from his rough start.

Magny got off to a strong start in the second, sticking and moving with ease as Lombard looked to land the big haymaker. With nearly two minutes gone, he found it again, with a left hand putting Magny on the deck. Magny got his bearings back quickly, and a leg lock attempt from Lombard allowed Magny to take over and sink in a triangle choke. Lombard got loose, but Magny kept the heat on and took the Cuban’s back, firing shot after shot with no response. Remarkably, referee Steve Perceval let the fight continue, and the horn intervened.

Lombard obviously had nothing left as the third round opened, and after he took a few more punches, Magny easily got the takedown and opened fire once more. This time, Perceval stepped in and stopped the bout. The official time was :46 of round three.

With the win, the number nine-ranked Magny moves to 18-5; the number 13-ranked Lombard, making his first start since being suspended after his January 2015 bout with Joshua Burkman, falls to 34-5-1 with 2 NC. The loss was the former Olympian's first by knockout.

Victoria lightweight prospect Jake Matthews scored the biggest win of his pro career, submitting Johnny Case in the final round.

The first round was a fun one to watch, as each fighter took turns teeing off with flush shots that the other shook off. Matthews was the busier of the two though, allowing him to likely take the round on the scorecards.

A Matthews body kick in the second minute hurt Case and prompted a takedown by the Iowan. Matthews responded with a triangle choke attempt from his back, but Case pulled free and landed some hard ground strikes. Matthews got back to his feet with a minute left, but ate a knee to the body before getting free. The Aussie jarred Case a second time with a body kick, and again, Case responded with a takedown just before the horn.

Matthews paid plenty of attention to his body attack in the third, and fatigue was becoming an issue for the Iowan, who kept moving forward, even though he was taking more and more shots. With 90 seconds left, Matthews took the fight to the mat and nearly finished matters with a rear naked choke, but a fence grab by Case allowed him to stay in the fight. There would be no escape from Matthews’ second attempt, as this one produced a tap from Case at the 4:45 mark.

With the win, Matthews moves to 11-1; Case, who lost for the first time in five UFC bouts, falls to 22-5.

KELLY vs. CARLOS JUNIOR

The biggest underdog on the card, Australian middleweight Daniel Kelly, paid no attention to the odds, bouncing back from a disastrous first round to finish former TUF Brazil winner Antonio Carlos Junior in the third and final frame.

Carlos fired off kicks to begin the bout, and they provided him the opening to take Kelly to the mat and then take his back. After Carlos fired off a steady diet of strikes, it was expected that he would sink in the fight-ending rear naked choke, but Kelly was able to stay out of the maneuver and make it out of the round.

Kelly roared back in the second, tossing aside Carlos’ takedown attempts and getting in several hard strikes in the process. With 90 seconds left though, the Brazilian got the bout back to the mat and took Kelly’s back once more. Kelly was able to slip free and get back to his feet, and the complexion of the fight had changed.

Kelly’s aggressive stance continued in round three, and after bloodying his foe and getting him to the mat, he unleashed a series of ground strikes that went unanswered, prompting referee Greg Kleynjans to stop the fight at the 1:36 mark.

With the win, Melbourne’s Kelly moves to 11-1; Carlos Junior falls to 6-2 with 1 NC.

BOSSE vs. TE HUNA

Quebec’s Steve Bosse picked up his first UFC victory in a big way, knocking out James Te Huna with a single right hand in the first round of their light heavyweight bout.

Bosse (11-2) was firing the right from the time the fight began, with Te Huna (18-9) taking his time to get acclimated in his first bout since June of 2014. Bosse wasn’t going to give him that chance though, and when he landed the right flush on the chin, the New Zealand native dropped hard to the canvas, with referee Marc Goddard officially calling the fight off at :52 of the opening round.

RAWLINGS vs. HAM

Brisbane strawweight Bec Rawlings got the main card off to a good start for her hometown fans, winning a three-round unanimous decision over South Korean veteran Seohee Ham.

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Rawlings, now 7-4; Ham falls to 16-7.

There was no shortage of stand-up action in the first round, with Ham starting out fast behind a strong straight left, but Rawlings getting her rhythm soon enough, allowing her to take the lead as the frame closed.

Rawlings had success on the ground in the second frame, nearly locking up a submission before Ham escaped to her feet, where the action favored the Busan native in the closing stages of the round.

In the third, it was Ham’s turn to look for a submission as she nearly sunk in a triangle choke, but Rawlings got loose and back to her feet. Fatigue began to take its toll on the Aussie star, and Ham tried to take advantage, but Rawlings was able to slow things down by clinching against the fence and gutting it out to the horn.

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